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Topic: Starter blowoff (Read 2052 times)

I have been getting a lot of starter blowoff lately (particularly with wlp530) and had a few questions:1. Could turning my stir plate to max setting be contributing to this?2. Could this significantly affect the amount of yeast I am pitching?

Any additional advice would be much appreciated! I tend to brew bigger beers (> 1.070) in general so I want to make sure I am pitching enough yeast to avoid stuck fermentation.

Thanks! I will use a larger vessel and turn down the stir plate speed in the future. The reason I was asking is that I just made a 3 liter starter in a 1 gal glass jug for a 5 gallon batch of Belgian dark strong ale (OG 1077). I left the starter on the stir plate for 2-3 days and had a lot of blow off. Then I cold crashed it for 36 hours to decant off the spent wort. I pitched the remaining slurry and aerated thoroughly with a mix-stir bar on the power drill. I am hoping everything works out and it won't get stuck.

3L in a gallon might be enough headspace, just slow down the stir plate. You just need enough motion to create a dimple in the surface. Also, if you're not doing this - cover it with foil instead of an airlock to let oxygen in.

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Delmarva United Homebrewers - President by inverse coup - former president ousted himself.AHA Member since 2006BJCP Certified: B0958

I have never added foam control to a stirred starter because I don't think it would work. Foam control works be sitting on the surface. If the starter is constantly spinning it can't do its thing. I could be wrong

I have never added foam control to a stirred starter because I don't think it would work. Foam control works be sitting on the surface. If the starter is constantly spinning it can't do its thing. I could be wrong

Yes, I think you're mistaken. It works in the boil as well, which is spinning pretty well, too.

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Jeff Gladish, Tampa (989.3, 175.1 Apparent Rennarian)Homebrewing since 1990AHA member since 1991, now a lifetime member BJCP judge since 1995